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Cats, Girls Aloud, Travis And Dance

May 24, 2007

This week has been hectic and varied in terms of entertainment. On Friday night I went to see the highly acclaimed Nederlands dance troupe at the Lowry. Their current show is wonderful to look at. The movement is athletic and beautifully performed but I felt strangely empty by the closing moments.

On Sunday I braved the crowds and went to see pop band Girls Aloud at the MEN Arena. This band are easy to knock as they are female, successful and annoy people/delight them in equal measure. But to be honest, their live shows are always well put together. They have some great hits ala Xenomania and always seem to enjoy themselves. They put on an efficient show on Sunday - storming through the hits but it lacked heart.

Travis were next up on Tuesday at the Apollo. Down, but not out- this band have been overtaken by the likes of Keane, Snow Patrol and Coldplay. Apart from a few dodgy moments where they overdid the “we’re rock stars” bit, it was a good gig. It’s great to have them back. More thoughts on the gig are here.

Last night was the most surreal night I have ever spent in a theatre. Have you ever been to see a production, not enjoyed it and wondered what other folk saw in it as they leap to their feet - to give it a standing ovation? Well, I saw Cats sad to admit, for the first time! How could I miss it? I went as a cat person rather than a dog person but I am tempted to get a dog now! The show looks incredibly dated- with the leg warmers - punk style manes and laborious dance scenes. As for the songs, if you like “Memory” - you get it about three times but the other songs are completely forgetable. I know the show was lambasted by critics when it first apeared, so therefore it is critic proof, but I expected to be entertained on some level by it. Even kids seemed bored. Did I miss someting? Is it an unsung masterpiece or the mangy, baggy animal that I witnessed?

See my review here. In the meantime. if you are a lover of the show, it continues at the Opera House in Manchester for another two weeks.

Next week sees the arrival of many interesting productions in Manchester. More on these soon…

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